The Church of Humanity, Repentant
The Church is Dead, the Faith Lives On. The Church of Humanity, Repentant no longer exists as a faction. This page is about a historical faction no longer active in the faction turn due to rebranding and death in lore. Follow the evolution of the Repentant faith after the dissolution of its Church here, and find information about the successor faction to the CHR, the charitable organization SERAPH, here. The Church of Humanity, Repentant was, for 230 years, the centralizing and organizing institution of The Repentant Faith, a progressive religious movement that rapidly grew in size, structure, and prominence shortly after the reign of the Blood Eagle. The CHR federated under its umbrella a diverse group of sects, scientists, spiritualists, activists and committed siblings from all over the Acheron Rho sector, each with their own unique world view. The common unifying beliefs of CHR members and sects were those of the Repentant faith: acceptance of all, including aliens; that all conscious life has a soul; and that the aggressive way mankind dealt with alien life in the past was wrong, and that we should make good for this through deeds of repentance and an acceptance of all conscious life. Both before and after the War Against the Artificials, The Church of Humanity, Repentant extended its charitable activities to not just aliens, but synthetics too. Conviction about synthetic soulhood (though not always synthetic goodness) also grew to be a distinctive belief of the Church. Though church leaders publicly denied involvement, the CHR was involved in funding, supporting, and organizing various projects of its members and sects that, directly or indirectly, helped systematically rescue persecuted synthetics, humans, and aliens and resettle them with new identities elsewhere in the empire. Amongst those in the know, this project was known as the Vigil's Railroad. Though Repentant sects and individuals were (and still are) dispersed widely across the sector, the CHR's homeworld, and the center of its sector-wide operations, was the planet of Cabina in the Benilli system. It was the seat of the Concord, the Church's governing council. The Church peacefully shared this world with the native Cah-Binn alien species. In 3200, The Church of Humanity, Repentant declared its membership in the Sector Trade Organization (STO) as a full member, in return for the STO members signing on to the Treaty of Cabina. Shortly thereafter, the church's Liberator subfaction took the helm of the CHR's political involvement in the sector, urging violent overthrow of the systems of Empire as part of humanity's path of Repentance, and persuading the majority of the Concord to back their plans. The ramifications and ripple effects of this shift in politics and doctrine, for a church that had heretofore officially preached and practiced primarily nonviolent methods, resulted in a growing internal schism within the CHR. Following the defeat of the STO and renewed High Church ascendancy in the sector, these internal schisms in the CHR reached a breaking point. Combined with threat of violent retribution for the church's actions in the war and continued stances, diplomatic isolation, and retraction of support from its member sects and organizations, the organization of the Church of Humanity Repentant fractured beyond repair. Doctrine The Three Tenets The Church of Humanity Repentant was made up of a highly diverse composition of individuals and sects, as a result there were many different schools of thought with wildly different doctrines or lack thereof. There were, however, three core tenets that every sect and member subscribed to: # The Soul begets Consciousness, Consciousness begets the Soul. # All conscious life is valuable and should be treated with respect. # We must atone for the mistakes of our past through Repentance, through Word and Deed. These tenets were formulated at the Church's original founding based on the disorganized and disparate ideologies of the pre-Church Repentant movements. But, the Church was full of charismatic leaders who developed their own following and teachings, as well as individuals motivated primarily by the practical and ethical side of the three tenets rather than more intellectual or spiritual concerns. A recent reaffirmation of the Three Tenets was the 3200 Statement of Shared Values, wherein various subfactions of the Church strove to find and reaffirm areas of common ground and concern. The Sacred Texts One of the first acts of the Church of Humanity Repentant was organizing full standardized translations of the Sacred Texts of the High Church of Messiah-as-Emperox into all known local and serf languages of the sector. The original texts were obtained in full through a former High Church Exarch who left the High Church behind for exile on Cabina. The CHR did its best to make these translations publicly available through CHR libraries, however High Church social and economic pressure made sure that CHR or CHR-affiliated libraries and retailers were generally the only places where they were available. Furthermore, CHR preachers were known for using the local tongue in their sermons rather than the latin-rooted clerical tongue of the High Church. The Great Rethinkers In addition to these shared Sacred Texts, the CHR maintained its own secondary canon of texts known as the Words of the Great Rethinkers. This was a loose canon of texts and holovids, some of which overlapped with the Sacred Texts, that at least some in the Repentant faith considered reflective of the three tenets and Repentant teaching. Some Great Rethinkers are proven historical figures, some are undeniably mythical, or if they did exist they certainly did not live the lives described. Most fall in a grey area in between these two, with their historicity hotly debated amongst those so inclined. The CHR had no official prescription on who is or is not considered a Great Rethinker, only guidelines that sects and members were free to disregard. No rethinker was accepted by all, and no initiate supports every rethinker's work. With each new convert to the Repentant faith, a new perspective is brought into the practices of the Church. The Beatitude Catechisms A set of teachings that was among the most widely read and adopted by sects and members of the Church of Humanity, Repentant. It was officially attributed to the Crusader of Contrition, aka the Last Exarch, the first and most mythical of the Great Rethinkers of the Church of Humanity, Repentant. Common Debates Except for agreement on the three tenets, almost any conceivable position was held by some sect or individual within the Church. A few examples of particularly prominent debates were: The Nature of the Soul As per the first tenet, the soul begets consciousness and consciousness begets the soul. But was the soul a supernatural, spiritual, phenomenon separate from matter? Or was the soul simply another term for the phenomenon of consciousness when it arises naturally from matter according to natural laws? The Extent of the Anima As per the first and second tenets, all conscious, intelligent life is in possession of fundamentally equal souls. But what about animals? Plants? Rocks? Opinions within the Church ran the gamut from those arguing only intelligent self-aware beings have souls, to those arguing everything, down to the void of space itself, was inherently ensouled. The Demands of Repentance As per the third tenet, repentance cannot be a solely internal process, but must be acted out in deed. But which deeds does repentance demand? Again opinions run the gamut. Some sects advocated primarily basic charity to sentient beings, some advocated ritual self-flagellation, and some advocated active measures to not only repair the results of past sins, but prevent humanity from committing more sins in the present and future. Organisation Compared to its sister church, the High Church of Messiah-as-Emperox, the Church of Humanity Repentant had a highly decentralized structure. Daily government was by and large left to the purview of individual sects and orders, with the Church-wide government serving more as an arbitrator, facilitator, and coordinator than a top-down government of its subsidiaries. The offices and meeting rooms of the CHR government were all found in Lux Gravare on Cabina. The Council of Exarchs The Council of Exarchs was the Church of Humanity Repentant's primary deliberative body. All its members were given the title of "Exarch of the Church of Humanity Repentant" and the council held a total of 222 such exarchs. Membership of the Council of Exarchs was for awarded for life, and could be gained in two ways: By being voted into membership by the current Council of Exarchs, or by buying the position via offering a sufficiently large donation (either individually or as the representative of a community). Aside from death, one lost membership of the council by voluntary retirement, or via impeachment by the council, where a two thirds majority was required to successfully impeach. Retirements were fairly common, in particular amongst those who represented not themselves but specific sects and communities, however impeachments were fairly rare. The Council of Exarchs served various functions, but its most important function for day-to-day governance was its election of the Concord. The Concord The Concord was the primary executive body of the Church of Humanity Repentant. It was made up of 22 High Exarchs, whom were always chosen from the ranks of the Council of Exarchs, and retained their position as Exarch in the council alongside their position as High Exarch in the Concord. There was no leadership position within the Concord, all High Exarchs were equal. Temporary leadership positions, such as the chairing of Concord meetings, were rotated between all High Exarchs. High Exarchs were generally elected for fixed, ten-year terms, but could be removed from office at any time by the Council of Exarchs via a motion of no confidence. Such motions needed only a simple majority of Exarchs to pass. The main division between High Exarchs was between those who ran one of the Church's ten departments, and those who did not, and which departments the former ran. The Ten Departments The ten departments, as overseen by the Concord, jointly made up the Church of Humanity Repentant's executive and judiciary government. Together with the Council of Exarchs as the deliberative branch, this made up the sum total of the Church government. The ten departments then represented not just parts of the church government, but the entirety of its executive duties and functions. Anything that was not under the purview of one of the ten departments was both de jure and de facto left to the purview of the individual sects and orders that made up the Church. Each department was headed by a High Exarch of the Concord, who ran the department and reported to the Council of Exarchs on the issues for which their department was responsible. * Department of Charity: Responsible for oversight and management of non-profit charitable organisation managed (directly or indirectly) by the CHR. Most prominently, and famously, it oversees the Cabina Cups Tea Company. * Department of Theology: Responsible for whether sects are or are not allowed to be part of the CHR. This department deals both with admission requests and oversight of current member sects. If a current member sect is found in fault, the department can refer sects to the Department of Arbitration for expulsion procedures. The most important qualifications checked for by the Department of Theology is adherence to the three tenets, and government practices up to the CHR's ethical standards. * Department of Arbitration: Responsible for arbitration between CHR sects and members. It also serves as the ‘internal affairs’ of the CHR, rooting out corruption or treachery. It is prominently staffed with current and former members of House Crux who converted fully to the CHR. This department is also responsible for expulsion procedures against sects or members found in gross violation of the three tenets and/or corruption. * Department of Special Circumstances: Responsible for crisis response, as well as most of the more 'covert' activities of the CHR. * Department of Outreach: Responsible for CHR diplomacy and public relations. * Department of Legal Repentance: The CHR legal department, responsible both for defending the CHR and/or its sects and members in court, as well as pursuing legal means to fight for alien/synth/serf rights through the imperial court systems. * Department of Property: Responsible for managing CHR buildings and financial assets that are not property of specific sects of individuals. It also offers assistance to sects and individual members in the management of their property, if needed and request. * Department of Culture: Responsible for community organization and religious festivals. Most prominently, and famously, it is responsible for upkeep of Lux Gravare Stadium, aka the Vardome. * Department of Xenology: Responsible for alien research and outreach, as well as research into synthetics. * Department of Welfare: Responsible for running CHR educational institutions and hospitals. Often, departmental responsibilities overlapped. For example, hospitals run directly by the CHR were overseen by the Department of Welfare, but hospitals which were run by non-profit charitable organisations owned by the CHR were overseen by the Department of Charity. Issues resulting of such conflicting jurisdictions and interests were a major part of the day-to-day business of the Council of Exarchs and the Concord. Naming Schemes Beneath the titles of Exarch and High Exarch used by the Church government, there was no formal or preferred hierarchy or naming schemes for titles. Individual sects followed their own preferences. Representing its embrace of diversity, naming schemes in the Church of Humanity Repentant are all over the place. Members hold titles from doctor, to professor, to brothers and priests and innumerate more esoteric or idiosyncratic titles specific to one sect or person. The only universal scheme is that the term "sibling" was used Church-wide as the general term of address between members of the Repentant faith, when not using names or more formal titles. History Pre-Scream Origins The Church claims its earliest origins in the original opposition against alien genocide that arose during and after the original "War for Human Prosperity" from 2206-2215. That such a movement existed is considered plausible by even the most secular of Church scholars, but how much of extant texts and teachings truly reflect this period, rather than later embellishment and mythologisation, is a topic of fierce and continual debate. As is how important or insignificant this original movement truly was. However, many in the Church would consider these debates trivial. Whether or not famous semi-mythical figures such as the Crusader of Contrition ever actually existed is a minor issue compared to the truths that can still be found within their teachings of repentance. The Crusader of Contrition “And after the slaughter was complete, the High Emperor visited each of the Exarchs for their blessing, and the blessing of the new sector he had baptized in blood. Each received him. Each blessed him, calling him savior, paragon, corrector. Each save the last. When the High Emperor came to the Tenth Exarch, he was met with silence. The High Emperor asked not for forgiveness, but for a blessing, a blessing for the crimes he had committed, and the last Exarch would not give it to him. And so the seeds of the True Church were planted.”--''The Records 1:15'' The Crusader of Contrition, aka the Last Exarch, is one of the most enduringly popular of the semi-legendary figures of the supposed pre-Scream movement. In the stories, they were a loyal High Church Exarch to the first Emperox, but after the alien genocide could no longer support the High Church or the Imperial system, and exiled themselves. Gathering a group of like-minded individuals called 'the Faithful' they made a great Vigil of Repentance around the sector, weeping for the blood shed and prostrating themselves towards the surviving aliens. That this timeline does not seem to coincide with the officially recognized sequence of the war and the founding of The Empire and the High Church is considered by some an argument against its veracity, but meaningless to the innumerate others who look to the Crusader of Contrition as a saint and exemplar of human repentance. Post-Scream Survival In the chaotic era following the scream, various movements espousing the ideals of what would become the Church remained active, spread across the sector. These movements were small and largely insignificant, but they preserved and expanded on the texts of Repentance. Founding of the Church In the aftermath of the reign of The Blood Eagle, the sector was ready to embrace repentance. Membership of still extant movements skyrocketed, and numerous new ones were founded, quickly gaining large followings. Recognizing their common cause, and the benefit of cooperation, the leaders of the most prominent of these movements traveled to Cabina and there formulated the Three Tenets and founded The Church of Humanity, Repentant as a visible and centralized institution for the Repentant faith. Over the next 230 years of its existence, nearly all other Repentant groups throughout the sector, large and small, came to join under the umbrella of the CHR. During this period, the Repentant faith grew in greater public prominence, and the organization of the CHR provided a powerful coordinating network and unifying presence. Though often great social and cultural pressure was brought against Repentant adherents, its sects and churches and organizations existed in a state of religious toleration, as long as they visibly followed local and Imperial law. The War Against the Artificials In the early stages of the conflict, many in the Church openly advocated for synthetic rights regardless of the truth or falsity of House Crux's claims regarding the House Cygnus plot. As the conflict progressed, most in the church's governing council believed that the Church should continue to remain neutral and advocate for non-violent resolution. Those in the CHR who absolutely could not bear the bombing of Gats or genocide of the synthetics being committed found themselves at odds with the official stance of neutrality endorsed by the CHR's governing council. Regardless of the debates about neutrality or action, the CHR still rejected the High Church's right to excommunicate House Cygnus, declare synthetics soulless, or justify genocide based upon denial of soulhood. Membership in the STO In 3200, after several months of contested meetings and rigorous debate, the Council of Exarchs gathered to announce that the Church was joining the Sector Trade Organization (STO) as a full member. The Church of Humanity Repentant viewed this membership as an important step in furthering the spread of the Repentant faith and its ideals. As part of recognizing the CHR's membership, the STO's member organizations (at the time ACRE, PRISM, 14 Red Dogs, and House Vela) agreed to sign the Treaty of Cabina, a contentious document whose signatures were gathered in secret, which granted equality of religious recognition and rights to the CHR alongside the High Church. The Yakiyahn Mandate Constitutional Assembly followed the CHR into the STO shortly thereafter. Later concessions obtained by the CHR and YMCA included commitments from other STO members to further equality of rights and protections for all conscious beings, should the STO factions achieve supremacy in the conflict. As tensions between the STO and Empire escalated, the church's Liberator subfaction took the helm of the CHR's political involvement in the sector, urging violent overthrow of the systems of Empire as part of humanity's path of Repentance, and persuading the majority of the Concord to back their plans. The ramifications and ripple effects of this shift in politics and doctrine, for a church that had heretofore officially preached and practiced primarily nonviolent methods, resulted in a growing internal schism within the CHR. Dissolution of the Church Following the STO's defeat by the High Church and Empire, the organization of The Church of Humanity Repentant fractured beyond repair. Causes included threat of violent retribution for the church's actions in the war and continued stances, internal schism of its leadership (particularly over the question of how to respond and adapt to a changing sector post-STO), diplomatic isolation, and retraction of support from its member sects and organizations. The CHR was officially dissolved by order of the Cabinan governor, leading to a period of chaos and instability which would result in SERAPH being formed to take control of the planet and most of the CHR's assets and non-religious activities. Ceremonies and Practices There were as many variations of practices and rituals as there were members of the church, and the amount of rituals itself also varied heavily between sects and individual members. A few examples of practices that that became common among multiple orders (and are still practiced by those of the Repentant faith) are as follows: Charity and Outreach One of the few near-universal practices among Repentant sects and members is to do works of repentance. While the exact nature of these works varies, they are often particularly concerned with reaching the plight of those 'non-humans' who are (often very intentionally) overlooked by anthropocentric charities such as those run by the High Church. In addition to straight-up charitable works, many sects and members engaged (and still engage) in outreach activities aimed at fostering peace and understanding between humans (both of and not of the faith) and aliens. Especially in recent times, there were rumors that Repentant sects and adherents had expanded these activities to include synthetic related outreach. CHR leaders publicly condemned the spreading of such rumors. Unveiling Unveiling was a common practice in the Church of Humanity, Repentant (and still practiced by many Repentant adherents) by which a (often newly inducted) member admitted to their guilt and complicity in the search for forgiveness by the divine. After a soul was Unveiled, the soul was always considered forgiven for their past deeds, but were not redeemed. Redemption and true Repentance in the eyes of the divine came from repentance both in Word and in Deed. The closing line spoken to the member at the end of their Unveiling was: "These are your Words, your Deeds must manifest." The Vigil Within the Church of Humanity Repentant, the term 'the Vigil' was widely used to refer to a concept of pilgrimage focused on traveling to sites with historic significance to the Church and human-alien relations, often involving doing works of repentance along the way. The term's popularity was largely due to its use in some of the earliest Repentant texts to describe the journeys of repentance made by the Crusader of Contrition. The exact length, destinations, and natures of these pilgrimages varied wildly among different sects, but certain routes and rituals became popular among multiple sects and were given their own names. Many of these remained famous and popular among Repenant sects even after the Church's dissolution. Some sects began adding locations seemingly more related to human-synth history than human-alien history to their Vigils' destinations. In addition, an almost suspicious number of renegade synths had been caught in the company of so-called 'vigilant pilgrims'. Church leaders publicly condemned the spreading of such rumors, but in truth, and absolute secrecy, the Vigil pilgrimages formed (and still form) the backbone of the Vigil's Railroad. The Vigil's Railroad The Vigil’s Railroad is a colloquial term for the systematic movement of persecuted synthetics, humans, and aliens for the purpose of resettling them with new identities elsewhere in the empire. It involves organized Pilgrimages, black-market smugglers, and affiliated merchant vessels, all dedicated to moving persecuted Synths to places of refuge. Repentant sects and individuals make up the bulk of its members and support. The Church of Humanity, Repentant gave tacit support to the endeavor, and the Church's overall coordination of member sects greatly (if indirectly) aided the expansion of the network, as did its support of Vigil pilgrimages. In addition, parts of its Department of Special Circumstances were sometimes more directly involved involved with these efforts. Still, given the secrecy and "need-to-know" nature of the operations, even the High Exarchs of the Concord were only dimly aware as to what exactly was going on, except that something was going on. They approved privately as vigorously as they denied everything publicly. Subfactions within the CHR For many decades, politics within the Church of Humanity, Repentant, and especially its the Council of Exarchs, was a struggle between three major subfactions: the Idealists, the Balance, and the Liberators. These subfactions represented ideological and philosophical divides in the Repentant faith that then became expressed in more organized political movements. Central figures from all three subfactions together signed the Statement of Shared Values in the summer of 3200, but fractious differences existed between the subfactions' aims and their interpretations of the second and third Tenets. Idealist Subfaction See also: ''Concord of Peace'''' (for associated political movement)'' The teachings of the Idealist ideology emphasized that corrective actions have to be taken to show people the better way to be. This subfaction placed paramount importance on remaining pure and incorruptible to reflect repentance as it should be. Idealists argued that Repentance comes first, that when a Sentient Being has Repented they will do the correct Deeds and say the correct Words, and that a perfectly Repentant soul will be blessed in the eyes of the Divine. What matters is that the individual expressed the purity of one's soul and in turn ushered in Repentance. The individual who failed to remain pure would fail to be truly Repentant in his Words and Deeds. Most sects and members associated with this ideology categorically rejected all forms of violence against sentient beings as incompatible with acts of Repentance. Traditionally the Idealist subfaction advocated for the CHR using social influence to bring about change. Its adherents were often found working within the systems of the empire, and whenever possible collaborating with the High Church of Messiah-as-Emperox and the noble houses. The CHR's accession to the Sector Trade Organization (STO) was a major defeat for the Idealist subfaction, and subsequently their influence on CHR policy and actions rapidly waned. Following ACRE's attack on Diomikato and the arrest of leading Idealist Exarchs, the primary public face of the Idealist faction became the Concord of Peace, camped in protest in Zkaa-kit-t Memorial Plaza in Cabina's capital of Lux Gravare. Balance Subfaction See also: ''Temperance Coalition'''' (for associated political movement)'' The Balance subfaction was a melting pot of wildly different views, whose one shared feature was an emphasis on practicality and the impact of actions and doctrines on the normal daily lives of the Repentant member. They supported what seemed best in the moment, always weighing the pro's and con's of each decision and the intended and unintended consequences it will have. Especially the consequences for the lay Repentant member. They generally represented the oldest, most established, member sects of the CHR that have invested a lot in gaining large followings on their homeworlds and/or across the sector, and as a result have a lot to lose. Within the Council of Exarchs, they were represented by the Temperance Coalition. Up until the Conflict of 3200, the Balance subfaction generally supported the Idealist subfaction in internal CHR politics. However they decisively broke with their Idealist allies in casting the decisive swing votes in favor of CHR accession to the Sector Trade Organization (STO) and the CHR's involvement in violent actions during the conflict. Liberator Subfaction See also: ''Liberatory Coalition'''' (for associated political movement)'' The teachings of the Liberator subfaction presented the nature of Repentance as always being about struggle -- both internal spiritual struggle against sin, and external physical struggle against the unrepentant and their blasphemies. In layman's terms: they argued that Repentance in this life was an act that partook in the struggle that would continue in perpetuity, until error and injustice were vanquished, and all souls achieved deliverance in the eyes of the Divine. In addition, it was the duty of all Repentant to usher in this age of harmony, by liberating the Repentant from the unrepentant, and that one should live not in fear of any material harm, but suffer and die as the Divine may demand. The Liberators used the tenet of respect and value for life to justify the use of force, threats, and violence. They saw themselves as not acting on behalf of themselves, but on behalf of the legitimate ultimate authority on life, and serving both the Divine and ultimately the unrepentant when they delivered unto the unrepentant the judgment of the Divine. Liberators argued that their actions, even when violent, were justified by the fact that they would further the progress of bringing about Repentance for all sentient beings. Many of the sects and members in this subfaction radicalized as a result of events in the recent past like the War Against the Artificials. There was no doubt in their minds that, regardless of the crimes committed by the Cygnus Emperox, the indiscriminate genocide of House Cygnus and all Synthetics, and the bombing of Gats, was not the answer. They saw how many of their siblings refused to do anything, and believed them cowards fearing reprisal from the High Church and Empire more than the judgement of the Divine. To many liberators, inaction in the face of evil was one of the greatest sins possible. Within the Council of Exarchs, they were represented by the Liberatory Coalition. Traditionally, the Liberators had been kept in check by the knowledge that the CHR's power to act came from being a united entity. The Liberators bided their time to grow their movement within the church, keeping their true intentions close to their chests as they advocated for action and closer ties to the revolutionaries of the Unified People's Collective and other anti-imperial factions. With the outbreak of the Conflict of 3200, they became more outspoken and public with many of their views, urging members of the Balance subfaction to support CHR accession to the Sector Trade Organization (STO). Following the defeat of the STO and the collapse of the CHR, many members of this subfaction went on to found and coordinate the Repentant Underground, while others committed themselves to suicide, surrender, and (in their minds) martyrdom, to shield the rest of the Repentant faith and sects from retaliation by the Empire. Sects and Religious Orders Though there were more Repentant sects federated within the Church of Humanity than could be counted, there were several that were currently particularly active and influential in the church. Some of these are listed below. These sects can be divided according to their membership of one of the three internal CHR subfactions, and according to whether they are local or sector-wide. Sector-wide Sects and Religious Orders Sector-wide sects are sects that, though they may be most dominant on some worlds, are fairly evenly spread out across the sector and whose members might reasonably be found any place where there is a CHR presence. Local Sects and Religious Orders Local sects are sects that, though they may have minor presences across the sector, are most dominant on certain worlds and whose members are most likely to be on said world. Church Slogans and Posters Below are just some examples of slogans and sayings that were found on Church signs and posters: "Rethink and Repent" "All Hands are Hands of the Divine" "Hands are Hands, Souls are Souls" "Animae servimus" "A tree with many branches bears a lot more fruit than a pile of twigs" "We are all at our best when we are all together." "May the Divine have mercy on us, for we will have none for ourselves." An album of various posters (primarily Idealist and Balance) retrieved and archived from areas with CHR activity can be found here. An example of Liberator propaganda can be found here. Institutions and Facilities The Church of Humanity Repentant was a diverse and varied organisation. Though most sects and individuals are part of larger enterprises or institutions where they cooperate and coordinate with others, during the time of the CHR, no more than a handful of such activities were large or famous enough to qualify as church-wide. Welcome and Outreach Centers In addition to places of worship dedicated to and managed by specific cults or religious orders, the Church of Humanity Repentant also maintained more general welcome and outreach centers across the sector. These were staffed by members from a variety of local sects or orders, and funded by the Church as a whole via the Concord. Cabina Cups Tea Cabina Cups is a brand of tea that is ubiquitous on Cabina and was widely associated with the CHR sector-wide. Cabina Cups tea is artisanally grown across Cabina wherever biosphere restoration projects have advanced sufficiently for tea gardens to prosper. Almost every city, village, and temple grows its own local variety of Cabina Cups. Before declaring its independence from the Church in 3200, Cabina Cups Tea Company functioned as non-profit organization overseen by the CHR Department of Charity. Its board was appointed by the Concord, the governing body of the Church of Humanity Repentant, and all profits were re-invested into Cabina biosphere restoration projects or other charitable projects. The Helping Hands Initially part of the CHR Department of Charity's efforts on Cabina, this movement spread throughout the southern rims. It provided comfort and assistance to the dying, unlicensed burial ceremonies, and saved freemen from succumbing to crippling debt. With the dissolution of the CHR it now operates as its own independent sect. Cabina Cups Charity Cat Cafés “10% of income goes to charity schools for the education of the disenfranchised! Drink and Repent!” The Cabina Cups Charity Cat Cafés, C5 for short, are a chain of cafés all-over the Empire, that mostly sell Cabina Cups. These cafés also provide other services, such as professional companionship (for clarification, sex work included), and have people with cat-maid costumes or catlike bodymods employed by them "in solidarity with our Al-Dost siblings", who serve customers with reverence. They also function as regular cat cafés, with cats frolicking around freely begging customer's attention. Before the CHR's dissolution these cafés helped to fund CHR Charity Schools. Publications Recorded Debates The Church of Humanity Repentant regularly organized debates between representatives of different sects. Some of these were recorded, and in rare cases even involved non-Church members. Below are links to some recent and notable recorded debates. The 107th Recorded Debate of the year 3199 The 107th Recorded Debate of the year 3199 for the Church of Humanity, Repentant on the Nature of the Soul, Moderated by the House Triangulum and broadcast in cooperation with The PRISM Network. * Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3 * Full Debate in One File The 12th Recorded Debate of the year 3200 The 12th Recorded Debate of the year 3200 for the Church of Humanity, Repentant on the Past, Present and the Future, Moderated by the House Triangulum and presented by The PRISM Network. * Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3 The 1st Recorded Ecclesiastical Debate of the year 3200 The 1st Recorded Ecclesiastical Debate of the year 3200 between the Church of Humanity, Repentant and the High Church of Messiah-as-Emperor on the Ideal Empire of 33rd century, Moderated by the House Triangulum and presented by The PRISM Network. * Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3 Publications During the Conflict of 3200 The following are documents published by (or about) the Church of Humanity Repentant during its time in the Sector Trade Organization and during its open conflict with the High Church and Empire. * Statement upon Joining the STO (Twitter link) * A letter was sent by courier to Shan and the people of New Montgomery regarding recent pirate activities. * Response to the High Church's Retraction of Protection (Twitter link) * Rethink & Repent: A Letter to the High Church (Twitter link) * Concord of Peace News Item (Twitter link) - Spring 3200 * Repentance Through Force - Summer 3200 * Concerning Rumors & War: Responses to Rumors from Orpheus (Twitter link) - Summer 3200 * Statement of Shared Values: A Reaffirmation of the Faith Repentant, in the Time of Present Crisis (gdocs link, Twitter link) - Summer 3200 * The Four Deeds of the Empire Repentant (gdocs link, Twitter link) - Summer 3200 * The Fifth Deed of Acheron Rho, Repentant (Twitter link) - Summer 3200 * The Empire and Faith Repentant (Twitter link) - Summer 3200 Publications Shortly Following the Conflict of 3200 The following are documents published by (or about) the Church of Humanity Repentant, following the collapse of the STO, and during the period in which the CHR continued to publicly defy the High Church's authority and hegemony. * Cabina NEWS! War's Over? Discord at the Concord! (Twitter link) - Autumn 3200 * Statement upon Departing the STO (Twitter link) - Autumn 3200 * Cabina NEWS! The Church Unveiled?! (Twitter link) - Autumn 3200 * SPECIAL REPORT! Leaked Recordings of the Autumn 3200 Proceedings of the Council of Exarchs! (Twitter link) * Declaration of Intent (to Sector, Nobility, High Church, and Crux) - Autumn 3200 * Phoenix Foundation Announcement and Details - Late Autumn 3200 Publications During the Church's Dissolution The following are document published by (or about) the Church of Humanity Repentant, during the period of its dissolution due to external pressure and internal schism. * SPECIAL REPORT! EMERGENCY SESSION of the Council of Exarchs! (Twitter link) * BREAKING NEWS: SCHISM! (Twitter link) * BREAKING NEWS: END OF THE DSC? (Twitter link) * BREAKING NEWS: Cabina Cups Goes Rogue??! (Twitter link) * BREAKING NEWS: The Future Coffee Quantess of Cabina? (Twitter link) * BREAKING NEWS: Repentant Sects Break with the Church (Twitter link) * Letter to the Repentant of Acheron Rho: Idealist (Twitter link) * Letter to the Repentant of Acheron Rho: Liberator (Twitter link) * Letter to the Repentant of Acheron Rho: Balance (Twitter link) * Statement from the Governor's Office (Twitter link) * First Missive of the Repentant Underground (Twitter link to video) Publications Shortly Following the Church's Dissolution Please see the page SERAPH Founding Timeline for the complete list of articles published shortly following the Church of Humany Repentant's official dissolution, largely concerning the fate of various parts of the Repentant faith, and the newly emergent secular power blocs on Cabina. The ones most explicitly related to the sects and subfactions of the CHR are listed below. * BREAKING NEWS: Liberators at the Plaza (Twitter link) * BREAKING NEWS: Gran Panacea Medical Center Goes Independent as Charitable Foundation! (Twitter link) * BREAKING NEWS: Hall of Concord in Flames! (Twitter link) * BREAKING NEWS: Famous Cabina Library Launches Educational Foundation (Twitter link) * BREAKING NEWS: Welcome Center Wars! (Twitter link) * BREAKING NEWS: New Serf Advocacy Association on Cabina (Twitter link) * SPECIAL REPORT: Repentant Sects - Where Are They Now? (Twitter link) * BREAKING NEWS: Secret Meetings on Cabina! (Twitter link) * BREAKING NEWS: Grand Gathering on Cabina? (Twitter link) * SERAPH Founding Press Release (Twitter link) Year 3200 - Faction Turn Timeline The CHR was given the homeworld of Cabina in Hex #509. In its early turns, it took various moves to expand its influence to the planets of Pylopid and Yakiyah. Before long, however, it got dragged into the growing conflict between the so-called Imperial factions and the newly formed Sector Trade Organization (STO). The CHR would decide to join the Sector Trade Organization as a full member, and put all its mechanical resources behind the STO war effort. CHR assets valiantly defended, or attempted to defend, STO homeworlds of Demnoph and Haqani. One of its loaned assets would also be used in the genocide attacks against House Lyra by the Velan Ascendancy. However, its boldest action was the attempt to seize Imperial Prime in turns 6 and 7. On turn 8, with the STO war effort crumbling, the CHR retreated from Imperial Prime. As the STO collapsed and the war was lost, the CHR spent its final turns building Party Machines on Cabina, before agreeing to end itself via rebrand as part of an cessation of hostilities with the High Church. In lore, the CHR died as a faction, collapsing due to internal schism and disputes over how to adapt to Imperial victory and HC hegemony. Mechanically, faction's name and identity was changed into that of SERAPH, its successor faction in lore. Creating a CHR Character For more information and a FAQ on creating a CHR character, please see the page: Create a Church of Humanity, Repentant Character. Please be advised that with the death of the CHR, this page may not be what you're looking for. For making a Repentant character in the post-CHR situation, please see the page: Create a Repentant Character. RollPlay Show Original Characters Below is a list of named characters who are original creations made for the Far Verona Rollplay show, either as PC's or NPC's, and are known members of the Church of Humanity Repentant. As of yet, this list is empty. Patreon Player Original Characters Below is a list of named characters who are original creations made by the Patreon players participating in the Far Verona Faction Turn and Discord server, and are known members of the Church of Humanity Repentant. Faction Turn Assets * Ardeshir Vela * The Shrouded Maiden * Veleris Skelkallan PC's and NPC's With the death of the CHR, the list of non-faction turn asset characters has been merged into the list of Repentant characters. Please see the page: The Repentant Faith: Patreon Player Original Characters. External and Social Media Links * CHR Twitter * CHR Tumblr * CHR Spotify Playlist * CHR Imgur Album Category:Factions Category:The Church of Humanity, Repentant Category:Churches